After three straight wins and six in the last seven games, Marshall County’s basketball Marshals lost a pair of tough games on the road last week.

The first was a 43-31 loss in a Fourth District contest at Calloway County Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, the Marshals came up on the short end of a 64-62 score against Massac County in the Mustang Madness tournament at McCracken County High School.

The Lakers bombed the nets from long range to win their sixth straight victory and improve to 11-2.

Calloway hit 8 of 19 from behind the arc for the game. Their accuracy from 3-point range was better than their overall field-goal percentage, 42 percent to 36.

Marshall County hit 35 percent overall, but managed only 1 of 6 from 3-point range and hit only 4 of 10 free-throw chances.

In district play, the Lakers took the early lead with their first league game. Marshall County slipped to 1-1 after a win over Murray, which is 0-1, on Jan. 3.

Against Massac County, the Marshals were saddled with foul trouble and the momentary loss of third-year starter Austin Rentfrow. Rentfrow, a 6-7 center, returned to action after he aggravated an injury to his right shoulder midway in the third period. He finished with a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

THIS WEEK: The Marshals travel to Paducah Tilghman tonight for a matchup with the Blue Tornado, then return home to Reed Conder Gymnasium to meet rival Graves County on Friday. A three-game schedule concludes Saturday at Crittenden County in Marion. All tip-offs are at 7:30 p.m.

Graves County is at the top of the First Region standings with a 14-2 record going into this week’s schedule. Tilghman is 9-5.

Calloway Co. 43

Marshall Co. 31

MURRAY – Marshall County, buried under an avalanche of 3-point baskets by Calloway County, slipped to 1-1 in Fourth District play after a loss at Jeffrey Gymnasium Friday night.

Calloway erased a 2-0 lead by Marshall County with a long jumper by Parker Adams at the 5:35 mark of the first quarter. Skyler Hunter buried another 3-pointer.

The Marshals fought back to regain the lead at 8-6 on two straight baskets by Austin Rentfrow, but after Hunter Smith hit one of two free throws to make it 10-8, Hunter nailed another trey just before the buzzer to lift Calloway to a 10-8 lead.

The Lakers then went wild with three more 3-pointers to make it 19-8, and even though Marshall County cut the deficit to 21-18 at halftime and 21-20 on the first points of the second half, by junior forward Mason Wooten, Calloway had not cooled.

The Lakers took a 30-24 lead into the final period, pushed it to 38-27 in the first two minutes without benefit of a 3-point basket and to 40-27 at the end of the third quarter.

Rentfrow led the Marshals with 11 points. He also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.

Hunter, a 6-6 junior, had 13 and 10 for the Lakers.

With a 12-point lead, Calloway coach Bruce Lane opted to have his team stall the last 1:42 of the game.

PADUCAH – Massac County held on for a hard-fought victory at McCracken County’s Strawberry Hills Arena Saturday, handing Marshall County its second tough loss in as many nights.

In a back-and-forth contest that saw 12 lead changes and eight ties, the Marshals led by 1 at the first quarter stop, trailed by 4 at halftime and led by 2 after three periods.

But Massac County got the first 4 points of the final quarter to take a 45-43 lead, and the Patriots maintained control most of the rest of the way.

Marshall County fought furiously, though, and despite the loss of three starters to fouls and an injury to 6-7 center Austin Rentfrow, they forged a 62-62 tie with 22.8 seconds to go on a free throw by point guard Landon Taylor.

The Marshals then got a held ball whistle when D.J. Pigg tied up Massac’s Dalton Mitchell with 6.7 ticks left. Massac retained possession, but Mitchell missed a pair of free throws with 5.5 seconds left and Marshall County rebounded.

Collin Travis rebounded, but his outlet pass was tipped and Massac got the loose ball. Davontay Blye hit a pair of free throws with 1.9 showing on the clock for the final margin.